Red Bull’s hopes for a triumph on its home circuit were dampened Friday as Mercedes regained its dominance in Formula One, clearly setting the pace on the opening day of practice for the Austrian Grand Prix.

With Daniel Ricciardo’s maiden victory in Canada two weeks ago, Red Bull ended a six-race winning streak by Mercedes but the Australian driver and his teammate Sebastian Vettel did not come close to matching their rival’s speed on the Red Bull Ring.

Lewis Hamilton beat teammate Nico Rosberg to the fastest time in the second practice. Hamilton completed his best lap on the 4.3-kilometer (2.7-mile) track in 1 minute, 9.542 seconds, topping Rosberg by 0.377. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was almost a second off the lead in third.

Toto Wolff has dismissed reports suggesting Mercedes could be eyeing a future with Fernando Alonso.

When rumors of the German marque’s flirtation with the obviously frustrated Ferrari driver Alonso first arose recently, team sources immediately reacted by hinting that Nico Rosberg’s contract is in fact on the verge of being extended.